Blood Alterations
by NushiKasai
Summary: The blood of the Original hybrid is the cure to a werewolf's bite. Since Caroline Forbes was the first to experience the cure fresh from his veins, she was also the first to experience the after-effects that not even Klaus could have predicted. Add on a flirtatious Kol, a jealous Klaus and a mysterious bracelet and Caroline has her work cut out for her. KlausxCarolinexKol
1. The Birthday

**Okay, this is only the prologue- a quick running over what happened in my view. Next it will be Caroline's POV- I want to try writing from her perspective :)**

** Please drop off a review if you have time :)**

** I don't own Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>The first funeral of Caroline Forbes had taken place when her eighteenth birthday should have.<p>

All day, she'd been mourning the loss of adulthood; realising that she'd never be an adult, despite how old she actually grew. She'd always be a teenager to the outside world and was stuck in the awkward stage of life that included hormones and insecurities.

So Elena relocated the party to the graveyard, and renamed the party to a funeral. Despite how depressing it would seem to an outsider; it was exactly what the vampire needed- though it was accompanied by a healthy dose of alcohol…

Then Tyler showed up.

After speaking to him alone for a while, he told her he loved her- which, of course, melted her heart- and things started to get steamy; which was a nice birthday present from the hybrid. As they usually do; things took a turn for the worst when Tyler decided to munch on her shoulder; his bite being lethal to her.

After rightly throwing a fit and screaming at him to leave her alone; Caroline collapsed on the ground; only to later be found by a wasted Elena and Matt- who both freaked and hurried her home.

Which is where she was now.

Having a depressing staring competition with the wall. And losing at said competition.

Rolling over onto her side and grimacing as her wound moved with her, Caroline wondered why this had to happen to her. On her birthday, of all times!

"Worst birthday ever," she muttered bitterly.

Smelling the scent of vervain, Caroline was able to identify the person as her mother before the door opened. Elizabeth Forbes was carrying a medical kit; so wrapped up in the hopelessness of the situation that she thought human medicine would be of any assistance.

"Hi, Mom," Caroline quietly greeted, making her mother stop and stare at her daughter in worry at how weak her voice sounded.

"Caroline," the sheriff replied hesitantly, not knowing what she should say.

The vampire tried to smile; to tell her mother that it was all going to be okay, but Caroline was rarely a good liar. Besides, Elizabeth seemed to understand perfectly well what was going on.

"Your father and I were constantly arguing about whether he would get to walk you down the aisle on your wedding day," she told the frail body that was her daughter. "I'd always imagined you in a beautiful white gown, hanging onto the arm of your grandfather as you walked up to the podium."

Caroline tried not to stiffen, but failed. A shot of pain bolted through her left shoulder, causing her to flinch in pain. She raised her right arm to gently caress the area, hoping that it might ease the hurt.

"Guess you won't have to fight about that anymore, huh?" She attempted a sad smile, but couldn't help the slightly tremble to her jaw.

The sheriff noticed this and immediately looked uncomfortable, as she'd never been good with the comforting scenes. However, she was determined to help her daughter to the end.

The woman sat down on the bed, hearing the creaking as she went. Reaching out an uncertain hand, she gently brushed her fingers through the golden hair of the dying vampire.

Caroline smiled gratefully, knowing how foreign it was for her mother to be in this situation. She reached out her other hand and gripped the sheriff's fingers tightly with her own.

"At least this time I'll actually die, huh?"

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><p>The hybrid approached the door, clasping his hands behind his back.<p>

The human boy inside had noticed him, and walked towards the door. The hatred in his eyes was evident, and Klaus vaguely recalled that the boy's name was Matt.

The door opened, and Klaus started the conversation before the boy told him to leave.

"Tyler came to see me," he explained, "Poor boy, he seemed quite distressed. He said that Caroline had had a terrible accident."

"You made him do this," Matt vehemently replied, his hatred leaking into his voice. "He would never have done something like this."

"I am here to help, Matt," he replied with earnest, "My blood will heal her. Please ask the Sheriff to invite me inside."

To one not experienced with the psychopath, it would almost seem as though there was an edge of pleading to his voice.

Elizabeth chose to walk in at that moment, hearing the hybrid's last words and nearly sneering at how obvious his ploy was.

"I know how this game works," she interrupted them, striding swiftly over to the door. "You want something in return."

There was a brief moment of silence before the hybrid spoke.

"Just your support," Klaus replied, shaking his head slightly with his heavily accented words.

Elizabeth stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he would have to gain by healing her daughter and wanting next to nothing in return. It was probably just a façade to manipulate them so that he could use them against his enemies. But this was Caroline.

"Come in."

Klaus stepped forward; the barrier no longer obstructing his way. He sent a snide smirk sideways to Matt, before continuing his way upstairs to heal his enemy.

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><p>Her eyes opened in a flash as she sensed the presence of the hybrid.<p>

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked with the fear obvious in her voice. She didn't bother to attempt moving away from him- it would do little good.

His eyes seemed to soften slightly; showing an expression she had never seen on his face.

"On your birthday?"His face turned serious. "You really think that low of me?"

"Yes," she replied without needing to think the question through.

He slowly started to approach the bed, causing her to breathe louder in fear and pain. Reaching a hand out, he gently pulled away the blanket and saw the harsh wound that his first successful hybrid had inflicted. He inhaled quickly as he opened his mouth to speak.

"That seems bad," he observed, "My apologies; you are what's known as collateral damage-it's nothing personal."

She stared up at him with confusion; wondering what he was doing here. Oh, she knew his blood would heal her, but she wasn't exactly able to attack him in her state and she seriously doubted he was going to give it up easily. He'd want something in return.

His eyes shifted to her right arm, where the bracelet that Tyler had given to her earlier rested. He tilted his head as he reached forward and gently flicked one of the charms; causing it to move sideways.

"I love birthdays," he told her fondly, a smile playing about his lips.

Caroline couldn't help but scoff at the situation. The Original hybrid, who had killed too many people to count and had manipulated and used the lives of everybody else, was in her room- talking about birthdays, of all things!

"Aren't you like a billion or something?" She shook her head slightly as she spoke, as if in denial that the situation was even happening.

"You'll have to adjust your perception of time, now that you're a vampire," the hybrid replied, an amused smile on his lips. "Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions. You're free."

"No," she disagreed with him, wishing that what he said was true, but knowing that it wasn't. "I'm dying."

His expression was freakishly serious as he leant over and sat down slowly on the bed. He crossed his hands and placed them on his knee, nodding at her previous words.

"And I could let you," he replied, with a slight matter-of-factly edge to his voice. "Die… if that's what you want. If you truly believe your existence has no meaning. I've thought about it myself… once or twice over the centuries, truth be told."

His eyes had a strangely intense look in them as he leaned forward; his serious eyes staring into her confused and scared ones. Though, he was pleased to see, there wasn't as much fear in them as there had been previously.

"But I'll let you in on a little secret," he continued in a whisper, a smile playing about his lips as he spoke. "There is a _whole world_ out there waiting for you. Great cities and art and music..." He broke off to run a tender hand along her forearm, the skin of his fingers just brushing her bracelet. He returned his gaze to hers. "_Genuine_ beauty…and you could have all of it. All you have to do is ask."

Caroline had heard from Elena that a werewolf bite can make a vampire have hallucinations. This was probably all that this was; just her tortured mind making her see the only hope she had to live. This theory was supported by the fact that he was being nice to her, let alone saying that she only had to ask to live and he would let her.

"I don't want to die," she whimpered out, thinking that this was just a figment of her imagination, but she desperately wanted to tell someone. She thought that she'd feel better after doing so.

Klaus smirked slightly, before lifting her up to him, making her wince in pain. This made her question her theory; if this was her mind playing tricks on her, then how could he touch her like this, and cause her physical pain?

She found herself practically lying on his lap, facing his arm that offered out to her. She could hear the rushing of blood that was underneath the skin, but it was different from the way that human blood moved. It was more chaotic, as though two oceans were colliding with one another under the thin layers of tissue. It was strange to think that what would heal her could be so easy to access.

"There you go," Klaus murmured softly, "Have at it, sweetheart."  
>It was so easy. All she had to do was lean forward slightly…let the fangs out…and pierce the skin. After that, the blood would flow into her mouth, the thick liquid being sickeningly sweet. It would be a different taste; werewolf and vampire into one.<p>

"Happy birthday, Caroline..."

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><p>The morning sunlight floated gently though the cracks in her window's blinds.<p>

Caroline's eyes flickered slightly as she began to wake up. She didn't want to get up yet; she'd been having a good dream about flying to Italy and going boating around Venice.

Her eyelids parted but her pupils shrunk as a stream of light had landed in her eyes. She shied away from it as she blinked rapidly and got used to the change in lighting.

Then the events of the day before came back to her. Her funeral party, Tyler biting her…and Klaus.

She rose immediately from bed, and noticed that there was no spark of pain coming from her shoulder. Lifting a hand to her bare skin, she brushed her fingers around where her wound had been festering at yesterday.

The evil, psychotic hybrid had healed her. After he was probably the one who compelled Tyler to bite her. It was probably just a ploy to manipulate her, she knew, but she couldn't help but think of all the things he had said to her the night before.

She looked to her right and noticed that there was a difference to her usually organised desk. A black box sat there, a white birthday ribbon wrapped around it and a piece of paper hanging of it.

Her eyebrows creased into a frown as she thought about possible gift givers. Everyone that she thought would give her a gift already had.

"_I love birthdays…"_

She reached out her hand and retrieved the gift before peering at it as though she could guess at what it was.

Caroline turned over the piece of paper attached to the white ribbon. In curly writing that only old-fashioned people were able to nowadays master was written the name of Klaus.

With increasing trepidation, Caroline slowly opened the birthday present. She expected some sick joke, like a poison dart to fly out and hit her. It seemed silly, but she wouldn't have put it past Klaus.

Instead, there sat a diamond encrusted bracelet shaped to be little bows connected to one another.

Her mouth dropped open in a gape. Maybe the bracelet was poisoned?

She hesitantly reached out a hand to touch it, before quickly withdrawing it, checking her skin to make sure that it hadn't turned any different colours.

Maybe it was spelled. She ought to take it to Bonnie so that her she could check, but the vampire didn't think that her friend would be inclined to let her keep it when she discovered who gave it to her.

And she didn't really want to get rid of it. It was a birthday present after all.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed the chapter :) I'm a full on Klaroline fan, so I threw a fit when the above scene happened...I just thought that Klaus was so intense! I can't wait for Dangerous Liaisons to be aired! I've seen some stills of Klaus and Caroline dancing at a ball, and I am so keen :)<strong>

** Please drop a review if you have the time :) **


	2. The Search

"Caroline, wait!" Caroline Forbes halted in her position and took a deep breath instinctively. Whirling around, she gulped and turned to face the confrontation that she'd been dreading for the entire duration of the morning.

"Tyler," she distantly greeted as she watched him rush to catch up to her as she halted outside a small shoe shop she had been intending to look through. The werewolf-turned-hybrid caught up to her, and on his face was the regretful expression that she had seen so many times. However, right about now, she was in no state of mind to deal with his self-pity and guilt…even if she loved him.

"I'm so…so sorry," Tyler began seriously, locking eyes with her in an attempt to make her realise how much his words meant. "I never thought that…that _he_ would make me do that to you."

Caroline scoffed and turned her head to the side; ignoring the curtain of gold that fell over her left eye and momentarily blocked her vision.

"You're _sired_ to him," she reminded him in annoyance; giving no inclination of whether his apology had been accepted or not. To her, it wasn't the matter of how many times her boyfriend said 'sorry'. There was a problem with their relationship- one that she wasn't sure that they'd be able to fix. "You know…Who knows what he'll make you do?"  
>"I know," Tyler rushed to insist, hurrying over his words, "And I'm going to fix this. I will."<p>

"How?" Caroline asked, "Because I can't figure out if I can trust you when you're around me, anymore. I wish I could! But how am I able to tell whether you're talking to me because you want to, or because Klaus told you to?"

Her boyfriend frowned for a fleeting second; a crease appearing on his otherwise smooth forehead, and was distracted from his purpose.

"Klaus isn't going to order me to do that," he replied as though it was obvious. Caroline scowled at her boyfriend's wise display of knowledge. "That's too civil for him."

"You'd be surprised," she muttered to herself, and her mind flashed back to the expensive bracelet she'd held in her hands hours earlier. The way it glittered as it caught the rays of the morning sun and how a multitude of rainbow colours danced like a waterfall as she turned it back and forth. The blonde scowled to herself as she realised that it was too expensive a gift to bring up to Tyler; he'd immediately be suspicious and would focus more on the new, weirdness that Klaus was showing instead of trying to break his sire bond.

Caroline shook her head and turned back to her boyfriend who was waiting expectantly for her answer. She knew that Tyler wanted an acceptance of his apology, but she also knew that he cared about her so much that he didn't want to risk her life by being around her.

"You don't know what Klaus could order you to do, and that's my point," Caroline replied shrugging her shoulders slightly as she pulled some stray locks of her golden hair out of her eyes so that she fix a serious look at her boyfriend. "There's always going to be this little thought in my head that everything I say to you will get back to Klaus."

"Why would you be worried about that?!" Tyler spread his arms wide and shook his head in confusion; understanding why his girlfriend was being difficult but not understanding her worry over Klaus invading their relationship. "It's not Klaus is going demand that I recite our conversations to him."

"Oh, you know this for a fact?" Caroline glared slightly at him; wanting to tell him about Klaus' strange behaviour, but not trusting how he'd react. "He's a _creep_, and you can never know what a creep will do. Who knows? Next, he might invite you over for a slumber party, where you'll paint each other's nails and watch rom-coms together."

The dark-haired hybrid placed his hand on his brow and mentally tried to dismiss the image in his mind of Klaus painting his nails, and then straightened back up and placed a calm, serene look at his girlfriend.

"Look, I just came here to tell you that I _really_ am sorry," Tyler slowly told her, gripping her shoulders gently so that she would understand the gravity of his words. "And that I…I am going to fix this. I don't know how, but I will." He leaned forward, and despite her anger over the previous night, Caroline felt herself drawn to him and she repressed a shiver as her boyfriend's lip bushed tenderly against her forehead. "And then we can be normal, again."

The blonde smiled fleetingly at the ironic notion of normality being a part of her life, and then she leaned forward and gave a quick, small kiss to her boyfriend; the only sign to him that perhaps he was on his way to being forgiven.

"I know you'll try," Caroline replied gently, before untangling herself from his arms and shrugging off all romantic thoughts. "And I'll wait."

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><p>Caroline pushed open and sauntered her way into the Salvatore residence; her heels clacking against the floor as she stepped down into the living room. Her eyes scanned the surroundings in hopes of spotting the light-brown familiar hair of Stefan, but no such sight was forthcoming.<p>

She scowled to herself and shook her bag in frustration; the shining bracelet jingling inside it's black box as she did so. After her meeting with Tyler, the blonde decided that she needed to figure out what was up with the piece of jewellery.

"Argh," the blonde perked up immediately she heard the groan of annoyance, and she whirled around to Damon Salvatore enter the room scratching his neck like it was a mosquito bite. His eyebrows rose appraisingly as he saw her. "Not in the mood for sex, Blondie. Move elsewhere."

"Yeah, like I'd go there again," Caroline scowled in reply, and frowned as she saw the healing red mark on the other vampire's neck as he passed her and headed straight for the couch. With surprising grace, he fell onto the black couch and sent her a flippant smirk; his expression saying that he doubted her words. "What's wrong with you?"

The smirk rolled off of his lips immediately, and a scowl that matched the one that Caroline sported flitted over his face as she resumed the furious scratching of his neck.

"I've just returned from getting knocked out by Ric's psycho girlfriend," he gritted out, as he obviously planned the doctor's painful death. "She needled me. With a needle." He shuddered at the thought, and the blonde raised her eyebrows at the discovery of a possible phobia.

"Well, it was just you," Caroline replied with a shrug, as she walked over to the coffee table and dropped her bag gently down on it. "She was nice enough to me. I guess she just knows a dick when she sees one."

Damon gave a fake, insincere smile, before letting it slide off of his face to be replaced by a glare.

"Hmm, why are you here?" He asked with a fake, light tone.

Caroline turned her upper torso slightly to try and see if she could see or hear Stefan coming down the stairs or something, but there was nothing. She finally huffed and slapped her arms against her sides in frustration as she turned to the more annoying brother with a serious look on her face.

"I'm looking for Stefan," she told him, and then gestured around the room with her arms, "But he's not here, so I will be leaving."

"Wait, wait wait," Damon halted her from her exit with a flurry of his hands, and he raised a curious glance at her. "What did a little blonde vampire want with my big 'bad' wolf-brother?"

Caroline scoffed at the reference to Stefan as being the big bad wolf. Not likely.

"Please, there are worse wolves then Stefan right now," she replied with a shake of her head, and her hand reached into her back and nimbly undid the lid of the small box inside. As she spoke, she lifted the glittering bracelet out and watched as Damon's eyes immediately latched onto the object with interest. "Speaking of which, the _worst_ wolf happened to drop me a little birthday gift last night."

There was a moment of silence, as Damon examined the bracelet and swiftly deducted that it was expensive. And old. Almost a century, or so. His interest piqued, he sat up and ignored the healing wound on his neck.

"Klaus gave you that?" he asked slowly, his eager eyes trained on the bracelet, and Caroline nodded in reply. "Judgy seen it?"

"Bonnie would throw it into the nearest incinerator if she knew that Klaus gave it to me," the blonde replied, laughing slightly that he'd even suggest it. "So no; Bonnie has not seen it. I just want to know who it was stolen from so I can return it. Or figure out if it's cursed."

Damon leaned over and held out his hand; and the blonde swiftly deposited the bracelet into his outstretched palm. He turned it over and let is dance between his fingers and precariously teeter over the edge of his skin, before he suddenly flicked it back into his palm as he shut his hand.

"My guess: twenties," he thoughtfully said as he peeked another glance at the glittering diamonds, and then he realised what he'd said and turned up to face the blonde. "But that was obviously your guess as well, which explains why you're here to see my brother."

"I've heard of his roaring adventures," Caroline admitted with a gesture of her head that indicated that the other vampire should tell her where the other brother was.

The more annoying Salvatore shrugged suddenly returned the bracelet to the hand of the blonde and resumed his position on the couch.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but Stefan doesn't remember too much from that time," Damon drawled as he stretched languidly, "Something to do with murderous rampages. He won't be much help."

Caroline scowled and retrieved the black box from her bag and placed the bracelet back into it. She threw her bag strap over her shoulder and sauntered over to the door.

"Great, just great," she huffed in annoyance as she began to make her exit. Over her shoulder, just as she was opening the door, she heard the Salvatore call out to her one last time.

"Take it to an expert, Blondie."

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><p>The following days were hard. Tyler had run off to the mountains, Caroline's dad had died and she still had no information on the bracelet.<p>

Her goose-chase for the bracelet was actually proving to be a good distraction from everything else that was going wrong with her life. Damon's advice was leading her to act, and she was determined to get her answers.

She just didn't really want to get them from the direct source. Klaus.

So she went for the next best thing: His siblings. She'd heard the news from Elena that the Original family was alive and kicking once more, which was certainly NOT what Mystic Falls currently needed.

Her hand knocked on the door in front of her, even though her presence had undoubtedly been sensed. She supposed that nobody deemed her a threat, and so they weren't acting too suspicious of her.

It opened after a few seconds, and Caroline blinked for a few moments. Honestly, she hadn't been too fussed with who she'd find as an available source, so long as it wasn't Klaus. Rebekah or Elijah would suit her fine.

She certainly didn't expect to find a shirtless, gorgeous man standing before her flaunting a teasing smirk.

"Um, hello?" Caroline asked in uncertainty, wondering if she should just turn around and run, but the other man- she clearly sensed he was a vampire- didn't seem to mind her attitude.

"I thought I'd take this opportunity to dress up for my visitor," the man said as greeting, and the blonde frowned momentarily at his accent. It sounded funny, but still smooth.

"Or dress down…" She trailed off as she forced her eyes not to wander to his toned stomach, "Sorry, who are you?"

His smile widened and didn't skip a beat as he leaned up to rest his arm against the door frame, and Caroline couldn't stop her eyes from training on his rippling muscles as he did so.

"Kol Mikaelson," he replied smoothly, a knowing expression crossing his eyes as he followed her stare. "At your service."

With those words, she snapped out of her momentary lapse of coolness, and tossed her hair slightly as she regained composure. Sure, she didn't expect to see a rather attractive, shirtless man here, and Tyler hadn't exactly been all smoochy-smoochy to her since the night of her party, but she would NOT let that ruin her purpose.

"I'm Caroline and I'm here to see Rebekah," she told him firmly, and was proud to see his ego visibly deflate for a moment, before it returned in full flair.

"I'm afraid Her Highness has asked not to be disturbed for the next few hours," he replied as though he was sad to tell her so, but then his eyes practically smouldered with mischief, and his real thoughts were made clear. "May I inquire as to the occasion?"

"Knowledge," Caroline answered, beginning to feel awkward now that her journey had been for nothing. "About the 1920s."

The man's eyes basically lit up in pleasant surprise, and a triumphant smile graced his features. He relaxed his weight until he was no longer leaning against the door frame and gestured that she move forward.

"Why didn't you say so?" Kol grinned as Caroline shuffled in uncertainty, "My last living memories were of the twenties; it was basically yesterday, for me."

A canine-like grin flashed across his features and he stepped aside to allow her enter the house.

"Come on inside," Kol invited her, "I'll tell you everything you want to know.

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><p><strong>Okay, I probably should have explained this last chapter: I only update if I get at least 10 reviews. That usually means that I have enough feedback to write the next chapter based on what comments I've gotten. I don't do it to annoy people, I do it so that I can pump out a chapter that is better than what you'd get if I didn't do this. So, if you want an update, then review and it'll come to you quicker than a year :)<strong>

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to review; your comments were wonderful to read, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Yes, there was no Klaus here, but I PROMISE that he will turn up next chapter- I've written part of, so review and you'll get it quickly.**

**Yes, there will be Kol/Caroline moments. He is a major catalyst, and Klaus will soon realise that he may not be the only Original badboy out for Caroline. :) I'm sorry if you don't want love triangle moments, but I really liked Kol's character, and including him here is my way of rebelling against his death :)**

**Bye! :)**

**UPDATE- Wow! Thanks for the major reaction! I didn't expect this at all! I promise that I will get an update to you on Thursday, because school will have finished by then and I'll be off for a week! :) I would update sooner, but I have three overdue assignments that I actually need to start- let alone finish- but the moment that my schoolwork is DONE I will complete the next chapter and get it published! Thanks to everyone for being legends!**


	3. The Brother

Caroline Forbes watched the Original vampire with caution as she sunk down onto the dark, velvet-coloured couch. Her black vest crinkled and her bag was tightly held to her side as she made sure she could access her phone quickly if the situation turned sour.

The shirtless Mikaelson entered the room and sauntered his way over to her. In his hands were two drinks; one containing scotch, and the other water- which was for Caroline. .

He promptly handed the blonde vampire her drink before he slowly sat down beside her on the couch; a confidently flirtatious quirk to his lips. Caroline tried very hard to keep her eyes from wandering as the Original's chest muscles rippled as he moved, but from the way Kol's gaze intensified with mischief, it was obvious that she failed.

In an almost challenging gesture, the blonde raised her glass up in the air as a signal for a toast, but her stare screamed the words 'game on.' After a second of surprise at her forwardness, Kol's smile deepened into a smirk as he raised his scotch in turn. Their glasses clinked together in the otherwise silent room, and then both of vampires pressed their drinks to their lips and sipped their differing beverages.

With a sigh of content, the shirtless vampire held his glass in his right hand as he shifted his torso to face his companion. Languidly, his body moulded into the back of the couch as he appeared to be thoroughly at home with the house he had barely begun to live in.

"So… Caroline," Kol's lips rolled around her name smoothly, but the blonde still couldn't put her sense of unease to rest. From his entre demeanour, she felt like a rabbit stuck in the gaze of a wolf. "What is it you wanted to know about the 1920s?"

She blinked suddenly, and snapped out of her moment of discomfort. Clearing her throat to rid herself of any doubts, she reached inside her handbag and pulled out the bracelet box. Turning back to the vampire, she failed to repress a scowl as she saw the Original eying her body up and down.

"Here," Caroline curtly interrupted him, and watched in annoyance as Kol smoothly recovered from his lapse in attention and smiled 'politely' at her with charm that could only be compared to Damon Salvatore. "Do you know anything about this bracelet?"

The Original hurriedly finished his sip of scotch and placed his glass aside on a coffee table before accepting the small black box and lifting the lid. Caroline watched as he examined the diamond-encrusted bracelet with a curious expression for a moment, and then he raised his head with a knowing smirk on his face.

"If I'm not mistaken," Kol began in sly tones as he shut the lid over the box once more, "This bracelet belongs to Niklaus."

"You mean he made it?" Caroline asked in surprise, marvelling at the fact that Klaus, who seemed to only tear apart beauty, would be capable of creating it, too.

"No, Nik was never very good at crafting," Kol laughed at the thought of his brother making jewellery, and then leaned back further into the couch. "He stole it."

Caroline nodded, and remembered that she had suspected that he had stolen it. Now, all she needed to know was who it had been stolen from so that she could return it…if the previous owner was even still alive.

"Who was it stolen from?" She asked, taking the box back and holding it tenderly in her hands.

"When I caught up with him in the middle of the 20s," Kol replied, obviously reminiscing about his life almost a century earlier. "He had the bracelet with him…Said he stole it from Anastasia Romanov a month past."

Caroline, recognising the name from both one of her favourite childhood movies and a history project she'd had to do in the previous school year, jolted at the thought of Klaus taking the bracelet from such a significant person in history.

"The Russian Princess?" Her eyes widened in surprise, but Kol seemed unaffected, and continued to sip amiably on his scotch.  
>"Her proper title was Grand Duchess," he corrected with a sly wink at her, "But yes, she's the one."<p>

Caroline frowned for a moment, remembering an important fact from her history project. She placed her glass of water on the coffee table and leaned towards the Original.

"You said that he stole it from her in the 20s," she told him, suspicion and puzzlement lacing her voice, "But she died in 1918."

"No, she survived," Kol smiled at her tolerably, and also leaned forward until her was closer to her face than he needed to be. "It was all over the news; she and her younger brother survived the massacre of their family."

Caroline scoured her mind for what she remembered of her project and then suddenly started as she recalled major piece of her study that explained her current situation.

"You mean Anna Anderson," The blonde triumphantly smirked at the Original as she pulled back her cup of water and took a sip whilst still locking eyes with the shirtless vampire who was tilting his head in curiosity at her. "She was the most famous impersonator of Anastasia. She would have been the woman you're talking about, and Klaus probably stole the bracelet off of her."

"She wasn't the real Anastasia?" Kol drew back from her personal space in mild surprise, before shrugging slightly.

Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, another voice interrupted her; a voice that was distinctly British.

"No, she wasn't."

The blonde vampire whirled around in the shock that she hadn't heard the hybrid approach. As she moved, she saw Kol chuckle to himself and calmly take another sip of his drink; indicating that he had known they had company.

"Glad to see you could join us, Nik," Kol announced lightly, raising his glass in a mock saluting gesture. "We were just discussing your little endeavours from the 1920s."

Caroline watched as Klaus surveyed them with a cold expression, and she frowned in confusion as his gaze hardened when he saw that Kol was shirtless. He stood imposing in the doorway before turning to Caroline and smiling in a seemingly polite fashion, but his eyes screamed his anger.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I, love?" He asked in a fake, concerned voice, but his face held that dangerous expression that appeared to be perfectly content, but anyone who saw him just knew that inside he was seething with fury.

"No…"Caroline replied unsurely, her eyes flicking over to Kol, who was still lounging against the chair as though there was nothing wrong with the world.

She almost withdrew slightly as the hybrid entered the room properly; his steps sounding slightly more louder than they ought to have. The blonde, however, seemed to be the only one effected by this as Kol was watching his brother with an almost defiant expression; as though he was challenging Klaus to lash out against him.

"Caroline here was just showing me this bracelet of hers," Kol grinned as his brother surveyed him impassively. "Awfully familiar, don't you think?"

"It's not mine," Caroline turned to Klaus with a serious gaze; thinking that the hybrid might take offence to her assuming the bracelet was hers. It was an odd thought considering that the bracelet had been a gift…but Klaus was unreadable at the best of times.

"Don't be ridiculous, love," Klaus replied to her softly, but his eyes were fixed firmly on his brother as he moved closer to the couch where they were. "It was your birthday present."

Kol chuckled snidely beside her, and Caroline turned to him in confusion. It was odd; the blonde had heard how the hybrid had carted his family around with him in coffins for centuries and that he dreaded being deserted by them. But now as she watched the interactions between the two brothers, she couldn't help but notice that what she was seeing overstepped the boundaries of simple sibling rivalry.

It seemed as though Kol was taking every action possible to antagonise Klaus- which Caroline could understand, of course, considering that he'd been daggered and stuffed into a coffin for quite a while- but she couldn't help but wonder what had led to him being daggered in the first place.

"You know, I remember my last birthday present from you, Nik," Kol drawled, "A dagger through the heart."

Caroline's eyes widened as she heard the shirtless Original's words, and she stared at him in disbelief. Kol turned sorrowful, fake puppy-dog eyes on her, as though he was saying that the world was so awfully cruel to him. Usually that would turn the blonde completely off of the situation, but the damage was already done.

Her blonde curls whirling, the vampire whipped her body back around to face Klaus, who had stiffened up and was watching the scene with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You daggered him on his birthday?" She accusingly glared at him; hating how hypocritical he was being.

"It wasn't his birthday!" Klaus defended, casting a snarl at the other Original, who shrugged as if to say the situation was out of his hands.

"Nik…you're such a stickler for details," Kol interrupted with a gleeful face, and the hybrid growled in warning. The Original vampire laughed in thorough enjoyment of the scene, but Caroline felt nerves unfolding in her stomach. "It was the morning after."

Klaus currently had his angry face on. The type of face that meant everyone in a five-mile radius needed to evacuate…now. Usually, Caroline would scowl and say that tantrums were for little children and that they wouldn't fix anything, but a Klaus tantrum would probably cause Mystic Falls quite a bit of damage.

"Well, I think I'll be leaving now," she announced, hurriedly stuffing the black bracelet box back into her bag and nodding at Kol. The Original vampire's lips went from a grin to a frown.

"Whatever for, darling?" He asked, totally forgetting his brother momentarily and instead focused on trying to stop the pretty, blonde vampire beside him from leaving. "Stay a while longer."

"Oh, no," Caroline hastily replied, buttoning her bag up and shuffling her vest. "I think I've overstayed my welcome. Thanks for your help."

She began to stand, but was suddenly thrown back against the back of the couch by a strong arm, and found that her bag was ripped out of her hands and tossed to the side in a speed so quick that even her sensitive eyes were unable to pick it up. Being the culprit of her sudden disposition, Kol was grinning at her and pressed his torso against her left side.

"I'd like payment for my assistance, darling," Kol told her in a low, velvet voice.

Caroline flinched and immediately tried to get away from him, but his steel-ironed arm had barred her way free by gripping the couch edge beside her. He leaned up to her neck and chuckled as she cried out in disgust and fear. Her hands were blurry as she threw countless blows at him in the time of seconds, but none were to any gain.

Suddenly, the Original vampire was off of her and was crashing against the coffee table; causing the glasses on top of it shatter. Klaus now stood in front of the blonde vampire; his back facing her and a snarl firmly placed on his lips.

Kol immediately straightened up and sent a flirtatious wink at Caroline, who was breathing heavily and watching him with sharp eyes; intent on not allowing him to get the better of her again.

"Don't look so angry, Nik," Kol drawled at Klaus, who was silent but fuming at his brother's outward defiance. "She's a pretty little thing…I like pretty little things."

Klaus shouted in fury and leapt forward like a beast; his vampire face fully emerged and snarling. With his superior strength, he knocked Kol to the ground once more and threw a hard punch at his face. Caroline observed in shock as the shirtless Original's face snapped to the side and hit the tiles painfully.

All of a sudden, Klaus himself was thrown off of Kol and landed at the blonde vampire's feet; a groan escaping his throat. Before he could recover, his earlier position was used against him and two swift punches were launched at his throat; and Caroline watched in horror as the hybrid's jawbones literally seemed to cave in on themselves.

His cheeks sunk dramatically, and Klaus hissed in pain as the bones immediately began the process of healing. Kol sat back slightly and laughed at the reaction and cast a quick glance up at his company to see how she was faring.

"Don't worry, darling, he'll be fine," Kol assured her, though he pouted at Klaus' immortality. He flashed the blonde a wink before going to throw another punch at his brother.

It appeared the healing process was quicker in hybrids than it was in normal vampires.

Recovered enough to defend himself, Klaus stopped his brother's blow and dislodged him; tossing him over to the side. The fight continued and the blonde observed with a steadily growing frown.

She couldn't help but notice that it was rather repetitive; Klaus scored a hit, Kol scored a hit, Klaus scored a hit, Kol scored a hit. And yet, it was one of the most vicious things she'd seen.

"Ah!" Klaus cried out in pain as his arm was curled back behind him and the shoulder was snapped into a dislocated position; meaning that his entire body had to lean slightly to the side to accommodate his new injury. Caroline's heart went out to him and she flinched as she imagined the painful healing process that he was going through.

The blonde vampire was inclined to rush in and help, but knew that it would probably be the most stupid thing that she could do. Seriously…it was something that _Elena_ would do. And she was _not_ Elena. Interfering in a battle between two very old supernatural beings that were far stronger than she was would be extremely dangerous.

It was when the wooden chair in the corner of the room was snapped and it's legs were being brandished as stakes that Caroline began to consider stepping in. She knew the pain of a wooden weapon, and she didn't wish it on anybody.

Caroline opened her mouth to interrupt and step forward when a posh, British voice distracted her.

"At it again, are they?"

She whirled around to Rebekah standing behind her, a disapproving stare settled firmly on her face as she saw her brothers fight. Her hair was perfectly straight, and her face was without makeup- but still unblemished and stunning.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Caroline asked, gesturing to violence ensuing in front of them. Rebekah shrugged and tossed her long hair over one shoulder; revealing a tanned neck and the chain of her necklace.

"Why would I?" She replied smoothly, turning away from her brothers. "They won't die. Besides, Mother will have undoubtedly heard them by now, and will send Finn down to deal with it." A thought occurred to her, and she turned to Caroline with a smile on her face. "Neither of them will be in the mood for entertaining you for any longer, so I suggest you let yourself out."

With that, she promptly spun on her heels and began to walk up the stairs.

Without any other option, the younger blonde vampire spotted her bag lying near the wall, and so she quickly flitted over to where it was and gathered all of her spilt belongings before the violence nearby drew any nearer.

Caroline was about to do as Rebekah had suggested, but then she remembered the reason that she had turned up at the Original house in the first place. Her eyes widened and she quickly whirled around and sped up the stairs to where she saw the blonde Original heading.

"Rebekah!" She yelled as she flitted in front of the other vampire, "Can I talk to you about something?"

Rebekah's eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion, and her head leant back slightly to survey the younger girl. In doing so, her straight hair fell back behind her shoulder slightly, though she took no notice of it.

"You don't like me," she said matter-of-factly, readying her lie-detecting ability, "Why do you want to talk me to me?"

"Knowledge," Caroline replied, clutching her bag tighter against her side,"About the 20s. I tried talking Kol, but we got interrupted."

The older blonde chuckled at that, and then considered Caroline's request. It wouldn't hurt to simply talk. Besides, there was the perfect opportunity for a discussion arising the next day.

"Come see me tomorrow," Rebekah answered, and then smiled as she heard glass smashing down the stairs where the brothers were going at each other. "There's to be a ball held here tomorrow evening…and something tells me that you'll be receiving an invite."

* * *

><p>Rebekah was dismissive- she obviously had other things she needed to do- and gave Caroline the details required to meet her the next day. After that, the younger vampire was basically pushed down the stairs and told to leave.<p>

As she stood at the door, she turned to the side and saw an elegant, blonde woman and another tall vampire standing before the two brothers- who had now stopped fighting. Both Kol and Klaus were facing the woman- Klaus with an ashamed expression, and Kol looking as calm as ever- and the woman was giving them a scolding.

With a start, Caroline realised that she must have been the Original Witch- Klaus' mother! Upon a more scrutinising glance, she saw the resemblance in their features, but there was a smooth level of elegance and motherly love that the hybrid lacked.

As she heard the mother scold them about causing a fuss, Kol's bored, wandering eyes spotted Caroline descending the final stair and heading towards the door. With a chuckle, he raised a hand.

"Come back soon, love!" He yelled with a flirtatious grin, and immediately the mother and her present children all turned to face the young vampire, who went red in embarrassment.

With a small, squeak sound, she rushed out the door and sped away back into Mystic Falls, feeling at ease the moment she reached her door.

* * *

><p>"Kol, listen to me when I'm speaking to you," Esther scolded her son, who had returned his lazy eyes to his mother and plastered another bored expression on his face.<p>

"Show a little respect!" Finn added on, a disbelieving look about him.

"Who was that young woman?" The blonde witch questioned her children, sternly gazing down upon her sons- though she focused more on Kol, as Klaus was already remorseful about his disobedience towards his mother. "What was she doing her?"

Kol grinned, eager to display his knowledge of the pretty little thing that had been in his presence not so long ago.

"Her name is Caroline"- He began with a smile, but Klaus swiftly cut him off.

"Caroline Forbes," the hybrid interjected. His mother was preparing to speak again, but Klaus wasn't finished. "Eighteen years old, reigning Miss Mystic Falls, daughter of the local sheriff, turned into a vampire by Damon Salvatore. Best friend of Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett, her ex-boyfriend, Tyler Lockwood was a werewolf, but I turned him into my first successful hybrid. Tyler bit Caroline, and because it was her birthday and I didn't want her to die, so I healed her." The present Mikaelson family watched their hybrid continue spouting out information like an obsessed fangirl. "She's beautiful, and full of light. I enjoy her."

All was silent.

"My brother is a stalker," Kol spoke up, a smug grin tugging at his features. Klaus growled and was about to leap at the still shirtless Original when his mother interrupted them.

"Was this fight about her?" The mother's expression was stern, and it was the hybrid's first instinct to lie, but he knew that Esther would detect it immediately.

"Kol was trying to molest her," Klaus insisted, casting a glare to his brother.

The blonde witch and Finn both gave the shirtless Original vampire a disapproving glance, but then a chuckle from Kol surprised them. They were about to scold him for not taking the situation seriously, when Kol gave his hybrid brother a snide look.

"I did more than you've ever done with her."

The violence ensued once more.

* * *

><p>Caroline Forbes rushed out into her hallway at the ringing doorbell; she being the only Forbes home, and therefore <em>had<em> to answer the door.

Only…there was nobody there.

She peered out and down the street; expecting to find a giggling, immature teenage brat fleeing the scene, but there was no sign of anyone having been there. With a confused sound escaping her throat, she glanced down.

And saw the large, black box at her feet.

Picking it up, Caroline tossed it onto her bed, and retrieved the letter that accompanied it. It was the invitation that Rebekah had mentioned; the one to the ball the next evening. Turning the small invitation around, she saw that there was a note on the back for her; written in wonderful, practised writing.

_Save me a dance, _

_Klaus. _

She tossed the card to the side and tentatively opened the box, expecting the worst. Inside, a ballgown was neatly folded into the box; it's skirts and bodice multiple shades of deep and sky blues. The vampire's mouth gaped at the sheer sight of it.

Snapping out of her trance, she snapped the lid back on over the top of it; forcing herself to look away. This was not a good time for distractions. Caroline only planned on attending this ball so that she could talk to Rebekah about the bracelet.

Suddenly, the doorbell ringing once more distracted her.

Flitting down to the door, she scowled and pulled it open, seriously expecting a prank this time. Instead, there lay another card on the ground.

Pulling it up, she skipped past the printed invitation to the Mikaelson ball and flipped it over.

_We never finished our talk, _

_Kol_

"Great," Caroline muttered, throwing the card onto the small table beside her with a tired sigh. "Just great."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, can I just say a massive thank you to everyone who reviewed?! :) You motivated me to write this for you. I would have gotten it out sooner, but I actually had a family emergency come up and delay it. Everything's resolved now, and here you go! :) <strong>

**For all of the people who said that they weren't too sure about Kol's part in this story: Kol is being introduced as a catalyst. He will cause the Klaroline relationship to develop, but he'll still be a part of the triangle. That's usually what happens; Kol will get Klaus jealous and therefore, our favourite hybrid will seek to further his relationship with Caroline. :) **

**Ten reviews, and I will update sooner! :) **


	4. The Invitation

**I was wondering whether you guys would be able to look at my newest Klaroline fic, Golden Blades? **

**Here's the summary: **_Caroline Forbes is an assassin sent to kill an important lord of a distant city- a city that is not all it seems to be. It might be the fact that there are no blonde woman in the city. Or it might have something to do with the abundance of thieves and murderers. Or it might be that the lord of the city, Niklaus, is the strongest demon to have ever risen from the shadows. Klaroline_

__**It'd be great it you could support it! :D Anyway, here's your chapter!**

* * *

><p>Caroline Forbes stood by her closet; peering in frustration at what lay inside. Her search for a last minute outfit was proving to be in vain; as every single one of her garments were paled in comparison to the image of the shimmering gown the blonde vampire knew lay hidden in the box behind her on the bed.<p>

Still, she had to at least make a conscious effort to resist.

It was failing. Whenever she saw a dress that she usually might have considered for such an event, she held it up against her body and instead only saw a flowing gown of sapphire and azure. She scowled and tossed her closet door shut; whirling around with a huff.

Her eyes made a futile attempt to stay away from the black box tied with a ribbon resting innocently on her bed cover, but there was no delaying the inevitable. The blonde vampire's gaze eventually latched onto the box and a scowl rode over her smooth features.

"Fine," she relented finally and stalked over to what she considered to be a cursed, god-forsaken object…that was just extremely beautiful. Unceremoniously, she tore off the lid and threw it out the door and down the hallway with a tennis-player-worthy shriek.

She swiftly undressed and then underwent a serious mental battle where she deliberated between putting on the dress and not putting on the dress. And so she stood there at the foot of her bed…in her underwear…deliberating.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>"I trust all the preparations for the evening have been met?" Esther walked with a certain type of elegance; a smooth movement that almost gave her the image of gliding. Ever her faithful lackey, Finn was stoic as he silently shadowed her steps beside the head of staff at the Mikaelson residence.<p>

The head servant nodded swiftly, but in a composed manner, as to not cause a scene or degrade his appearance.

"Of course, Madame," he replied, the French accent blurred some of his spoken consonants and vowels together. He had been compelled nearly six months ago to serve the hybrid son of the important family, but since then, sad family had grown considerably.

The mother of the family smiled distantly, but it was a sign of acceptance and dismissal. Understanding and acknowledging this, the head of the servants bowed slightly and took his leave. As he walked away, the mother and son continued their walk down the hall to where the rest of the family was undoubtedly preparing for the ball in the evening.

"Mother, is all of this really necessary?" Finn pressed, obviously attempting to deny himself the desire to simply stop and gaze at every marvel and innovative creation of humanity he saw. Even he understood that it would be more difficult to deny himself that evening. "You could just perform the"-

"Hush, Finn," Esther interrupted quickly, and faced her son with a gentle expression on her face. "I have no sage burning, and our topic of conversation is not preferable in a house where it is easily overheard."

The son nodded humbly, and gestured that they should continue. Esther walked onwards, her heels- which she had adjusted to remarkably well- clicked softly against the tiled floor.

"Besides, it is in our best interests to befriend the community," the blonde witch added on amiably, stopping outside of the door to the large living room. Her hand wound around the handle. "Given the nature of our family, this is the only way to live within the bounds of convenience."

She opened the door, and inside Klaus and Kol lounged lazily on the couches; the hybrid flipping through a novel and trying his best to ignore his vampire brother, who was holding a glass of scotch and a raunchy magazine that featured a blonde woman who bore mild resemblance to Caroline Forbes- a fact which did not go unnoticed by Klaus.

"Niklaus, Kol," Esther greeted her two sons, and received a welcoming but short smile from Klaus, and a mere glance of mild curiosity from Kol. The witch and her shadow entered the living room slowly, and Esther stood with her arms clasped across her front and her presence demanded the attention of a superior. "Are you prepared for this evening?"  
>The hybrid and the vampire both nodded immediately, and Klaus gestured to the tailor-made suit that was lying beside him on the couch- he obviously being too lazy to move it or compel another to do so.<p>

Kol offered no explanation; he left it up to his mother to place some faith in him.

"And who are escorting to the ball?" Esther asked, a motherly smile on her face, and an almost mischievous glint in her eyes. She blinked once, however, and it was gone, replaced with the regal and distant wisdom appearance.

Klaus chuckled to himself and shut his novel with a snap before placing it beside him on the top of his suit. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together as he grinned charmingly at his mother.

"I fear that the ball may be rather dull," the hybrid replied, a flashing glare given to his other brother, who had lifted the magazine up so that he was given a much better vantage point of the scandalous Caroline-model. "I mean, I have already met most of the people attending this ball."

"Ah, Nik!" Kol interrupted him before he could continue, and the vampire placed the open magazine against his chest and took a greedy sip of his scotch. "See, I haven't quite had the chance to meet people, yet…Except for Caroline Forbes, of course." The hybrid stiffened and his barely-concealed glare became apparent and deliberately filled with hatred.

"Well, it's rather disappointing for you, then, Kol," Klaus replied with a fake amiable tone, though his eyes were still daggers. "Considering that I've invited her to the ball this evening."

Kol laughed and placed his glass off to the side, before leaning forward into a seated position; the magazine sliding down to his lap in the process. Esther and Finn exchanged an appraising glance as they watched the two brothers have at it once more.

"What a coincidence," the smooth vampire retorted with the infuriatingly charming expression on his face, "Because I've also invited her."

Klaus disregarded all senses of formality, and reared up like an animal; standing up immediately and releasing his hybrid face with a snarl at his brother.

"You live to antagonise me!" He hissed at his younger brother, who sat calmly watching him with a mildly amused gaze. "You wouldn't be the least bit interested in her if I had not spared her a glance!"

"On the contrary, dear brother," Kol replied with a canine-like grin that only served to show his vampire fangs growing in defence to the hybrid snarling opposite him. "She is a rather pretty woman…and you know how I like anything pretty."

"I also know what you like to do to anything pretty!" Klaus growled at his irritating brother, and he opened his mouth to launch off a torrent of insults when an airy, British and very familiar voice interrupted him.

"Oh, do shut up," Rebekah Mikaelson stood in the doorway, behind her mother and the shadow. She was dressed in a dark green ball- obviously recently tailored- that hugged her curvaceous form before flaring out at the very end of her legs. Her hair was obviously about to be worked on, and she currently had not applied any make-up, as nothing was hiding the scowl she wore. "You do realise that Caroline Forbes is not likely to accept either of your invitations."

Klaus was about to splutter out his objections, and Kol was grinning like a maniac- nothing out of the ordinary, there- but Rebekah just laughed at the both of them for how pathetic they were.

"Neither of you are in her good books right now, therefore it would be horrible for her to have to decide between the…oh, what's the term…lesser evil!" She smiled at them both, pleased with herself for having remembered the saying. She flicked her hair over one shoulder and levelled them both with a stare that made them realise that she had planned something that would not bode well. "Which is why I took the liberty of talking Elijah into inviting her as well."

Both the immature Original brothers nearly leapt five feet into the air- which was, of course, within their physical capabilities- but they instead settled with glaring furiously at their satisfied sister and shrieking at her.

"You did what?!"

"Bekah, why would you ruin my fun, like that?!"

Even Esther and Finn had raised their eyebrows at the daughter's announcement, and the witch supressed a smile of amusement. She met the gaze of her shadow and nodded swiftly, before they turned to walk out of the door.

She and the shadow left the room, and began to make their way to the witch's study room, which held all of the instruments required for the ritual that would take place that evening. She shut the door, and Finn finally allowed a sigh to escape him; a sigh of exasperation at the behaviour of his siblings.

"Isn't Elijah supposed to be the most mature of them all?" Finn asked quietly, wondering what Rebekah had said to rope him into all of this. "Niklaus will have his head."

"Niklaus will do no such thing," Esther replied sternly, whilst her hand ran over the dagger she would use to cut the hand of the doppelganger that evening. "I will not allow it."

She picked up the bushel of herbs placed in a jug before her window, and firmly reached up to shut the curtains in one movement. Then, she lit a candle on her desk and held a small bunch of sage before the flame and recited the spell in her mind; the power to effectively shut out the hearing of the vampires in the house coursing through her veins.

When she knew that she had succeeded, the witch placed the herb beside the burning candle and allowed the musk of the spell to spread through the room.

Then, she let her mask fall, and a frown crossed her face as she turned to her son.

"Who is this Caroline Forbes?"

* * *

><p>Caroline Forbes was just about to tear her hair out. Once more, she had rebelled against her mind and was now sitting down in the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate.<p>

Instead of accepting either of the invitations sent to her, the blonde vampire decided that she would simply ignore them and enter the ball on her own terms.  
>The plan: Gate-crash an Original Ball. Even to her mind, it sounded ridiculous.<p>

She had tossed on jeans and the first pale rose blouse she had seen in her closet, and had thrown the glorious ball-gown back into its box furiously in her own special way of denying Klaus' attentions.

The blonde vampire sighed and gazed out of the window. The dusk was swiftly approaching, and it vaguely crossed her mind that the ball would begin in a few hours; if she wanted to change her mind…then now was the time to do it.

She was sorely tempted; as a feminine girl at heart, her mind surged in happiness at the thought of being a belle-of-the-ball, but then she imagined the look on Klaus' (and even Kol's) face when they realised that she had thoroughly rejected them. The mere though brought a smile to her lips, but then the glee faded as she remembered how eagerly Klaus had leapt to her rescue the other day and how he fought for her 'honour.'

Caroline scowled; he didn't fight for her sake, he was only looking for an excuse to hit an irritating Kol! There wasn't anything gallant about that.

She was dragged out of her thoughts when the doorbell rang. All too familiar with the situation at this point, the blonde vampire scowled heavily as she pushed back her chair with a loud, angry screech.

"Seriously?" Caroline hissed to herself as she fumed over to the door. "Just leave me alone!"

Her hand latched around the handle and her eyes were fixed firmly onto her doorstep- waiting another, fancy letter from Klaus or Kol.

She certainly didn't expect Elijah Mikaelson to be standing before her.

"Good evening, Miss Forbes, is it?" His appearance was every inch the gentleman, and his voice was smooth and held a more classy touch than that of his hybrid brother's.

Caroline frowned in confusion, and instinctively took a step back. She knew that, of all the Originals, Elijah was considered to be the most trustworthy by the Elena-gang, but that didn't mean that the blonde vampire was going to immediately drop everything and place her faith in him.

Her hand rested against the frame of the front door, back she double-checked to make sure that it was not outside the boundary of her home. She was safe inside her house, and knew that no Original would be able to force her outside.

"You're Elijah," Caroline responded guardedly. The dark-haired vampire was one of the only Originals she had never associated with properly, and whilst Elena had pleaded his morality, Caroline knew that her friend put her trust in people who rarely deserved it…people like Damon. The blonde vampire shook her head to clear her thoughts and examined the Original. "I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here?"

"I understand that both of my brothers have taken it upon themselves to invite you to the ball our family is holding this evening," Elijah reached a hand up to straighten his tie; a gesture that may have appeared nervous on any other man, but on the Original it only served to boost his suaveness in the eyes of his audience. "And I am also aware of their recent indiscretions towards you."

"You mean Klaus ordering my boyfriend to bite me, and Kol trying to feel me up?" Caroline replied with a slight sarcastic drawl, her left eyebrow rising. "Yeah, I'm aware of them, too."

For his credit, the Original vampire had the decency to avert his eyes. For a moment, at least.

Then his Mikaelson pride returned, and he resumed gazing at her with a formal aura. He reached into his pocket and retrieved an object that Caroline had become all too familiar with during the day.

"You've got to be kidding me," the blonde growled quietly, though she knew that her company would easily overhear her.

"Rebekah has informed me that you requested an audience with her, and that she wishes for you to arrive at the ball at the highest convenience," Elijah continued as he extended the envelope out towards her; his expression and voice entirely formal. "Therefore, I am offering myself as an available escort, should you wish to avoid my brothers."

* * *

><p><em>Finn<em>

"If you want to see my mother, you'll need to be alone."

Finn Mikaelson turned and left the doppelganger girl standing on her own, as he wandered over to the staircase where he knew that the ball would soon be officially started with a dance.

Having not had the chance to make many friends in the town, the Mikaelson had been dateless to the ball, but he was of the state of mind to be particularly bothered by this. He was of no desire to flaunt a pretty woman on his arm in a charade of peace for the evening; not when there were much more important events taking place.

He was broken out of his thoughts as he saw a flash of bright orange enter his peripheral vision, and he reacted instinctively and wildly.

Whirling around, with his heart speeding its beat, Finn scanned the surroundings, but only saw Niklaus chatting to a young woman of orange hair by the staircase. His pulse slowed once more, and the Mikaelson attempted to disguise the emotion of dismay settling over him.

He nearly scoffed at his own behaviour; he'd been as good as dead for nine hundred years…surely, everyone he'd known would be dust or had long forgotten him.

He had Niklaus to thank for that.

"Finn, my son," the Mikaelson turned back to the staircase to see his mother standing above him with her hand elegantly positioned on the railing.

"Mother," Finn replied with a respectful nod and went to join her; scaling the stairs with ease. "Shall we call everyone here for an audience?"

Esther frowned slightly and shook her head; her blonde hair rustling as she did so. As a superb actor, the woman planned to kill her children and very few people suspected a thing.

"No, Elijah is not here yet," she observed as she gazed around the guests and didn't see her most mature son among them. "We will wait for him."

The shadow nodded his agreement and wandered back down the stairs so that he was directly facing the entrance to the house. The moment his last brother stepped foot in the Mikaelson residence, he would do his duty and inform his mother so that her plans may begin.

To his left, he noticed the doppelganger girl consulting her two Salvatore bodyguards with a serious expression on her face. Regardless of what they advised her, Finn knew that she would be drawn curiously to his mother's side by the night's end. All Petrova's were too eager for answers for their own good.

He was about to wander into another room, when a shimmer of sapphire caught his eye. Flying his gaze over to the bright colour's direction, he noticed one of the latest pairs to enter the mansion.

Caroline Forbes, the current object of Niklaus' affections and Kol's interest, was dressed finely in a gown of various glittering shades of blue and was hanging onto the arm of Elijah Mikaelson. Finn chuckled at what the baby vampire's joint pursuers would think upon seeing that she denied their invitations in favour of another Mikaelson.

A small smile still gracing his lips at the thought, the shadow promptly swirled around and returned to his mother's side.

* * *

><p><em>Elijah<em>

"I can understand your decision to forsake the invitations of my brothers," the mature Mikaelson smoothly told his partner as she clung onto his escorting arm. "I am well aware of their indiscretions."

Caroline reached up with her free hand and adjusted the flimsy blue shawl covering her shoulders as she thought of the other Mikaelson brothers. Whilst it was not her main intention to anger them at the ball…it was her own little added bonus to the evening.

"I'm only just here to see Rebekah," Caroline replied firmly, smiling unsurely at the presence of the classy Original vampire. They'd never really spoken before, so the blonde was feeling slightly… 'peasant-like' beside him. He was so suave and smooth that she was left feeling rough beside him. She shook her head, determined not to let such thoughts stop her from enjoying the evening. "I won't be here for too long- I don't really want to risk running into Klaus or Kol."

The other vampire nodded in understanding as they approached the door, and their pace gradually slowed as they approached the doors of the mansion.

Caroline was glad of how accepting Elijah was of her situation with his brothers; she supposed that perhaps Elena was not entirely incorrect when she called Elijah trustworthy, as the mature Original did have a sort of trustworthy air about him. The blonde was tempted to break out in a tirade against all the things that Klaus had done to the people she loved and then engage in a major bitching session, but she had the slightest inkling that, for all of Elijah's acceptance, a bitching session may not be the best idea.

They entered the mansion, Elijah barely greeting the men at the door before they granted him entry- therefore accepting Caroline as well. As they stepped in, a servant approached her from behind and took the sides of her shawl dutifully, and Caroline flashed the woman a smile of gratitude as she gently folded the shawl in her hands and carried it off.

Upon gazing around the foyer of the mansion, Caroline had to resist the urge to gape openly around her; their home majorly outdid the Lockwood's! Everywhere glittered warmly in her eyes, and it was a pure visage of riches and beauty. The interior design was obviously done from a classical inspiration, as there was nothing retro-modern in the room, which was delightfully refreshing.

They had barely begun to wander around when a toast was called from the grand staircase. Caroline's escort gently pulled away from her in the most polite fashion possible.

"Forgive me, Miss Forbes," Elijah bowed slightly to her in an apologetic manner, "But I must go and officially open the event."

Caroline nodded, amazed that he had actually allowed her to take such a long time getting ready and therefore delay the opening of the ball. It shone an entirely new light on the word 'tolerant.'

"Oh, sure," the blonde watched him take his leave, and then scanned the crowd around for a familiar and approachable face.

She saw many people that she had seen before at Founder's events, but they were the sort of people you smiled politely at and then never talked to again. She wasn't in the mood to be a Founding Family socialite.

Her eyes lit up as she saw Elena, and she quickly made her way over to her side. Upon noticing her friend, the doppelganger broke into a smile and stepped in front of her two bodyguards to greet her.

"Caroline, it's good to see you," Elena said, and then looked the blonde up and down with a surprised glance, "You look amazing! Where did you get that dress?"  
>The blonde blushed slightly, and instinctively clutched her arm that held the shining bracelet gift from Klaus and tried to hide it from view.<p>

However, it did not escape a certain Salvatore's notice.  
>"The hybrid freak-show gave you the dress as well?" Damon grinned as though Christmas had come early, and then started chuckling at the thought of their main antagonist of the past year developing little crush on a baby vampire. "And you wore both of his gifts. I sense a new celebrity couple- I'm thinking…Klaroline."<p>

The blonde snarled at the older Salvatore and would have transformed her face into her vampiric form if human's hadn't been nearby. Besides, Elena whirled around and scowled at him in annoyance anyway,

"Damon!" She hissed in defence for her friend, but then turned with a frown on her face. "Did Klaus really give you that?"  
>Caroline sighed slowly and let her arm fall back to her side for comfort and her fingers gripped the skirts of the expensive gown.<p>

"Yeah," she relented, but continued on before the doppelganger had a chance to protest, "But I only came here tonight to speak to speak to Rebekah about the bracelet. I tried to talk to Kol, but I didn't really have the chance."

"Kol?" Elena's expression was of confusion, and then the blonde realised that the doppelganger hadn't heard of the other brother yet.

"One of Klaus' brothers," Caroline explained with a roll of her eyes to show her annoyance at the previous encounter.  
>Damon Salvatore leant over to his brother, who stood passively leaning on the wall with an attempted expression of disinterest, and whispered audibly in his ear.<p>

"She's already meeting the in-laws," he grinned snidely, and Caroline snarled once more at him.

She was about to snap at him further, when a loud, smooth voice interrupted her from the staircase. Elijah Mikaelson stood at the stairs and was calling for everyone to pay attention in his deep tones that reeked of politeness.

"Excuse me, if you could all gather," Elijah requested, and the crowd hurried to scurry around the staircase. All the Original siblings were standing like royalty on the stairs below their mother; the woman that Caroline had seen in the mansion the other day. "My mother would like to open the event."

The woman, dressed finely in a gown of green, overlooked the important families of Mystic Falls as though she were a queen gazing over her dominion.

"Thank you for all attending," she spoke, and her voice was as smooth as her mature son's, but there was a level of a mother's warmth in her tones that her son didn't possess. A smile graced her beautiful features, "Without any further ado, I officially deem this event to be open."

* * *

><p><strong>I am very sorry for the delay, I had exams :( Ew... Yeah, it's been a bit stressful, haha. <strong>

**I put in a lot of effort to get this out for you tonight, so yeah :) **

**For the ball, I'll be going through each of the Original's perspectives of Caroline. We've already ticked off two off of the list...can you guess who'll be in the next chapter, haha :)  
>THERE WILL BE KOLxCAROLINExKLAUS scenes next chapter asdfghjkl...Yeah, I'm really...really tired right now. <strong>

**Thanks for the people who reviewed; I try to get back to as many of you as possible, but I'm sorry if I missed any of you. Please continue giving me your feedback as it really motivates me to continue writing and to get through my stressful patches to bring you another chapter :)**

**WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK OF THE COVER IMAGE I MADE? I made it during an art class :D **

**Please review! **


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